We’re tackling routines designed to boost your STAAR performance. The Clarifying Routine increases student comprehension and retention of important unit terms, people, and events by using examples, non-examples, and real life experiences. It helps your students give context to terms, define, and then understand them long-term, not just for one test. The second strategy, the LINCS Routine, is a fun approach that builds students’ confidence by helping them quickly define words through auditory, cognitive, and visual prompts. Last but not least, we look at how to engage students in learning new words through explicit instruction.